Once upon a time a magical woman called a Griffin was strolling through the Dulcon Forest, part of her daily routine. During this time she would hum a merry tune and every herb she needed would spring from the ground. Nothing disrupted her during this walk she took. The creatures in the forest were blinded by her unsightly features, too afraid to look past them. The poor Griffin lived her days alone, unable to find a friend.
One day a mighty, strong, and heartless prince came through the Dulcon Forest, interrupting all things that he passed through. The Griffin was in the direct middle of her merry tune. Her strong voice traveled through the trees and greenery until it reached the prince. He was taken aback, as he had never heard such a beautiful voice in all of his existence.
“Who goes there?” he cried out into the dark forest. The Griffin did not reply. “Who goes there?” the prince tried again. “Show your face, which must be as beautiful as your voice. The Griffin did not know what to say, as no one had ever called her beautiful before. She stepped out of the leaves that hid her and the prince jumped.
“Where is the beautiful maiden who has been singing such a joyous tune? Surely it can not be you, beast.” The Griffin felt as though her heart weighed three-hundred pounds. She squeezed her emerald eyes shut, as her sadness turned to rage.
“I am not a beast. You are a cold-hearted, ignorant, self centered, small minded pebble and I will not listen to such utter nonsense. You will pay for your selfishness.” With a wave of her hand she cast a curse onto the prince. The tall man was reduced to a horrific Toadleed, the ugliest creature in all of the Dulcon Forest. “Now you understand what it is like to be a beast. You will stay like this until you learn your lesson. Go now.”
The unfortunate prince wandered around until he found a still pond to see his reflection. He was indeed hideous. He knew that he could not return home as his parents would never believe that this Toadleed was their son. he managed to find a green cloak that would hide him so he could go back into town. Standing on two feet was more difficult now, as Toadleeds usually ran about the forest shadows on four.
As the prince stumbled into town he came across a merchant’s daughter, sitting alone on a blanket. “Hello,” he croaked.
“Why, hello!” the fair young girl was chipper.
“I’m terribly sorry to bother you, but I need help. A Griffin has turned me into a Toadleed to teach me a lesson after I upset her. She said I can only turn back into a prince if I learn my lesson. What do I do?”
“You must’ve done something awful to upset a Griffin so. They don’t usually lose their temper! What was it?” the young girl looked puzzled.
“I called her a beast.” the prince looked ashamed as the girl shook her head n disappointment.
“Are you truly sorry?” the maiden asked sincerely.
“Yes. I know never to be so heartless. I feel awful about being so stone hearted and rude.” The merchant’s daughter watched as the Toadleed turned back into a prince. Next the maiden transformed into the Griffin.
“You’ve learned your lesson. Go back to your family and if you are ever unkind to any creature again, you will become a Toadleed again, this time forever!” With that the Griffin disappeared, her hideous face never to be seen again.